Iris was standing there and unable to move. Her mind refused to accept this simple truth. Even though she heard the commotion and fearful screams, she still refused to acknowledge it. The girl that bumped at her was long gone now. More and more people were passing her in a desperate dash deeper into the forest. She spotted a young woman pressing a small child close to her chest and dragging the other terrified kid by the hand. Iris shook off her stupor. There were whole families here—helpless women and children. The Inquisition made sure everyone knew what they do with people who harbour Mages. They were killed without mercy.

'No, no, no...' she whispered frantically and started making her way toward the centre of the camp, against the crowd of people pushing out. Only one thought in her mind - they must stall the attackers so the innocent people can escape. She ran toward the shouts and clash of steel. The light flashed ahead, dispersing the dark of the night. The Mages were holding their ground.

The Mages formed a line at the centre of the camp, their faces solemn, hands raised and glowing with light. In front of them stood a group of armed men and women, with Kara leading them, keeping the Inquisitors out. Iris noticed there were only regular knights, no sign of Mage Hunters they've encountered recently. She joined the line and drew the light from the nearby campfire.

There was a solid wall of light preventing the Inquisition to move farther into the camp. The only opening was guarded by their warriors, standing their ground relentlessly. Iris raised her hands and poured more light into the wall, reinforcing its strength. The Mage standing next to her nodded, his brows wet with sweat. It took a lot of concentration to keep the wall up while the knights kept pounding at it. But they needed to hold it a bit longer to make sure all civilians had time to flee.

Iris blinked, and suddenly all her surroundings changed. Once again, she stood alone in a place that looked not quite right. The trees bent in all the wrong angles and moved to a weird rhythm, even though there was no wind. She looked over to the wall of light. It was so bright her eyes were stinging just from looking at it. Countless dark shapes were coiling around it, reaching their clawed limbs towards it. There was also something else there lurking just outside her vision. It felt cold and ominous. She felt a cold sweat covering her back, making her shiver. The Shadows at the wall moved, slightly edging her way as if they've just noticed her. There was a shrilling howl in the air, and the shapes started moving towards her.

'Oh, no, no, no!' she gasped and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she was back at the camp, as if nothing happened—no traces of Shadows anywhere. The Mage standing next to her didn't even notice something was happening with her. Maybe it was just her stressed mind playing tricks on her? She shook her head, squared her shoulders and focused on reinforcing the wall again.

There was a commotion behind the front line, and the Inquisitors took a few steps back. In sudden silence broken only by heavy breaths and the crackling of fires, the hooves crashing the forest floor echoed loudly. A massive warhorse entered the illuminated area, and surrounding knights stepped back. The rider was a tall and well-built man with dark hair and cold grey eyes. He wore black armour, ornated with a symbol of the Lord Sun. His narrow lips curved into a smile. He stopped a few steps from the warriors. Iris was impressed that Kara, who stood in front, did not move even an inch.

'Impressive hideout you have here,' said the man looking around, his eyes calculating. 'I am Cassius, the Grand Inquisitor. I will speak to your leader. Unless he is too much of a coward to step out from behind his henchmen.'

Marcus stepped forward from the Mage's line; his face was impassive. 'I don't believe we invited the Grand Inquisitor himself into our humble domain,' he said, his voice sure and steadfast.

'I grew tired of your constant obtrusion. Your so-called Rebels have no way of standing against the Inquisition. Stand down and drop your weapons. If the Mages come with us peacefully, we will spare the rest of the scums. For now, at least.'

'I'm afraid that's not possible,' said Marcus, holding his head high. 'I'll say it only once, and I'm sure I'm saying this for all of us. We would rather die than help you in any way. Your tyranny will not prevail, Inquisitor!'

Cassius scoffed. 'You will all die anyway, old man. It is only a matter of time. Do you think you can stand against me? Against the Inquisition and the Church itself? You are nothing but a ragged band of heretics—the last bastion of insurgence. And I'm going to crush you right now,' his voice was cold and factual. There was no anger in it, just unhinged conviction. 'You can't hide from me anymore. Even the forest people turned away from you. That's right, I can see right through your pathetic Wild Magic. I ask you one last time. Surrender.'

'Go to hell!' growled Marcus, and a blinding lance made of pure light shoot out from his fingers, aiming straight into Inquisitor's face. The man raised his hand, and a cloud of impenetrable darkness appeared in front of him and absorbed an incoming projectile. The collective gasp escaped from the Mages.

'Tsk, that wasn't wise,' said Cassius calmly, his grey eyes grew darker. 'You can't harm me with your magic. I am the Grand Inquisitor, and I vowed to get rid of this blight of yours.'

'You're using the Shadow Magic!' spat Marcus with disbelief. 'It has corrupted you already. You think bringing it back will do the world any good?'

'It is only a mere tool to clean the mess you've made. It will be discarded along with other magic once we eradicate every one of you, and the world will get back to its balance once more.'

'You're a mad man if you think you can just give it up. Look in the mirror, Inquisitor. You're already showing signs of corruption. There is no coming back for you.'

'Pity then. I grew tired of this pointless conversation. Let us end this.' He raised his hand again. His eyes turned black completely. Iris watched in shock and horror as black tendrils of darkness started to creep along their wall of radiance. She felt increasing pressure on her mind while she struggled to keep the light solid. Then the wall fell apart with an ear-piercing sound of shattering glass. Iris, along with other Mages, was pushed back. Her head was pounding, her vision blurry.

'See, it's that simple,' continued Grand Inquisitor conversationally. 'Look at you all. You think you are so brave, so bold. You are nothing but the obstacles toward the new order of the world. The age of magic has ended the moment you proceeded with your foolish Ritual. And now, all your Light will be extinguished!' He signalled with his hand, and the knights threw small objects at them.

Iris, still in a daze, was looking at a ball made of metal. With a loud hiss, it released a thick green smoke, smelling strongly of herbs. She coughed and covered her mouth and nose with her cloak, crawling away from it. It was the same incense she already knew, the one dampening Mages' ability to wield the light. The chaos broke all around her. In front, there was a clash of steel when the knights engaged with Kara's warriors again. But now, without the wall protecting them, the Inquisition was flooding them with sheer numbers.

The air became thick with green fog, and there was no escaping from inhaling it. Iris scrambled back to her feet but had difficulties with seeing anything through the smoke.

'Retreat!' she heard Kara's shout. 'Retreat everyone. Protect the Mages!'

But the chaos erupted. Everyone started to dash in all directions frantically. Right then, Iris felt something odd pushing against her mind. It reminded her of a cold, clawed hand made of darkness she briefly saw in the Shadow Realm. The pressure was increasing every second. The flood of despair started rising deep inside of her. Cease all the fight, the voice seemed to be saying. There is no point to resist. You are all doomed already. She stood frozen in place, unable to move, watching horrified as warriors protecting them were slaughtered one by one.

She had to move, to do something. Light! She needed light to get rid of this oppressing darkness inside her mind. Iris put all her effort to raise her hand toward the fire. Just a little bit of light, to clear her mind, just a fraction, will be enough. But before her confused and smoke-dazed mind managed to focus enough to use her ability, the fire was suddenly extinguished by the figure clad in black. The Mage Hunters! They were here! Before she managed to move the man came for her. His hand in the black leather glove closed on her neck and lifted her off the ground.

Iris struggled for air, clawing desperately at hand, but to no avail. She tried kicking, but her assailant was like a statue. She saw his eyes under the helm. They were black and indifferent, like the eyes of a dead man. Her heart was racing, and her lungs were burning from the lack of air. Dark dots started dancing in front of her eyes. All the strength left her body.

When she was close to losing her consciousness, the grip on her throat disappeared, and she fell to the ground wheezing desperately for air. She saw a body in black leather lay next to her, its neck a bloody mess. She looked up.

'Quick, get up and run, little one!' barked Arlo, his axes dripping with dark blood. 'I'll keep them busy for a while! Run!'

Iris didn't need any other encouragement. She scrambled to her feet and ran. The green fog was so thick she could barely see anything. It didn't matter, as long as she was running away from the Inquisition. It was a complete and utter disaster. They stood no chance against an overwhelming force of the Church. Not when they had Shadow Magic, their smokes and the Mage Hunters. She managed to reach the end of the camp, and darted between the trees, the sounds of fighting and screams chasing her.

Iris didn't know how long she was running. Her lungs were on fire again, and her neck was throbbing with pain. She came to a stop leaning heavily on a tree and bending over to catch her breath, her legs shaking. The forest surrounding her was quiet now. There were no sounds of clashing steel here. No screams. She looked around. She didn't have the slightest idea where she was, and she didn't care. Her instinct shouted to keep moving. The Inquisition will be searching for them. They won't let them slip this easily. Not when they had the Grand Inquisitor with them.

Iris forced her feet to move forward. She was making her way through the thicket, as there were no paths there. She hoped she would be safer this way, harder to find. But the branches and thorns were tearing her clothes and scraping her skin, leaving bloody scratches on her face and hands. She didn't even feel it. Her mind was focused on the one thing only – escape. Live to fight another day. Iris was surprised by her survival instinct. Just a few weeks ago, in a similar situation, she just gave up. She accepted her fate and was willing to go to her death with her head bowed as if she deserved it.

But she knew better now. In these few short weeks, she saw a completely different world, the place that was worth living in, worth fighting for. She won't bow down anymore. She won't let other people tell her she is a monster who doesn't deserve to live. She will survive to see another day, and as long as she lives, she will fight for what she believes.

The forest around her grew thinner, trees were further apart, and bushes were less dense. Iris jumped, startled when she heard shouts and hooves beats not far behind her. Her stomach clenched as she realised the Inquisition was still chasing her. I can't outrun them, she thought desperately. I need a place to hide. She ran again, trying to find anything that can conceal her. The sounds of chase grew louder with every second.

'Please, Lord Sun, give me something!' she whispered the helpless plea, her body shaking from fear and exhaustion. Suddenly someone grabbed her from behind, pinning her arms down. She screamed, but the sound was muffled by the hand on her mouth.

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